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Ryanair Slashes Spain Winter Capacity, Closes Santiago Base and Drops Vigo, Tenerife North

Ryanair cites a 6.6% airport charge rise for 2026 as the trigger, a rationale Aena publicly dismisses as extortion.

Overview

  • The airline will remove about one million winter seats to Spain, cutting regional capacity by 41% and the Canary Islands by 10%.
  • All flights to Tenerife North end at the start of the winter 2025 season, with Vigo services stopping from January 1, 2026.
  • Ryanair will shut its two-aircraft base in Santiago and keep the Valladolid and Jerez bases closed this winter.
  • Thirty-six direct connections are being cancelled, with further cuts at Zaragoza (45%), Santander (38%), Asturias (16%) and Vitoria (2%).
  • Around two million annual seats will be redirected to markets such as Italy, Morocco, Croatia and Albania, as Aena condemns the move and analysts warn fares on affected routes could jump 20–30% in the coming weeks.